National Indigenous Day of Prayer - June 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.

 
National Indigenous Day of Prayer
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
 
The Gathering of the Community
KWE’ (welcome)
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
 
Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the land on which we are meeting is the traditional, unceded territory of the Prince Edward Island Mi’Kmaq. We acknowledge, with respect, the history, culture, and spirituality of the Mi’Kmaq people, who have lived on this island for over 15,000 years.
 
Hymn: Stand in the Congregation (P66)
 
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
Creator God, from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love, and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen
 
The Proclamation of the Word – Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Sermon
 
The Prayers of the Community
O God, we come together on this National Indigenous Day of Prayer, blessed to be alive, blessed to be on this land, blessed to have neighbours as diverse as your creation. You surround us with the air we breathe, the water we drink, all manner of living plants and animals that delight us and sustain us.
 
Thank you, Creator, for all you provide: for the blessings you give us―of family, friends, and places to call home, and on this Father’s Day we give thanks for all men who parent, coach, teach, mentor or otherwise help us through life’s journey.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those we know who are ill, at home or in the hospital, especially…
-         
… and others we may name out loud or in our hearts,
-
… may your loving, healing and forgiving presence be with them.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We commend to you all who have died in your peace [especially….],
-
… that our trust in you may deepen as you keep them safe in your care.
Lord, hear our prayer.
O God, we thank you for the witness of Indigenous peoples and the strength, care and love they show. Encourage us to listen more, speak less. We welcome opportunities that will bring us together because in Christ, we know we are all kin, relatives, with you and with each other and with all living and non-living things.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all those who are worn down by systemic racism, and that those with power will change their thinking so justice will come. We pray for survivors of residential schools, and their families that continue to live with that legacy, that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for people living on reserves with shortages of funds for decent housing, water, schools, and other community infrastructure, that justice will come. We pray for Indigenous people living in urban areas, facing the challenges of prejudice and discrimination that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for Indigenous women and girls, facing both racism and sexism, that their lives and bodies will be respected as sacred, that justice will come. We pray for Indigenous women and girls who are murdered and missing, for them and their families, that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the air, that every breath will be clean and easy. We pray for the waters―marshlands, lakes, rivers, streams – for the great seas and oceans, that they will be protected and sustained for the benefit of all, and that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the lands, forests, grass, and farmlands – for the prairies, foothills, and mountains – for their beauty, for the life that teems within, upon, and over them. We pray for the health of ecosystems, that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the animals, birds, fish, and life of all kinds whose viability is threatened by unsustainable human activity, that their lives will begin to count, and that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
O God, we thank you for the Indigenous people of this land. Yet we lament that historic and contemporary racism continues to impair our relations. We lament the church’s role in a system that benefited settlers. We are committed to this painful journey of truth and reconciliation, and that we will walk this path with humility, that justice will come.
Lord, hear our prayer.
All this, O God, we lift up to you. We celebrate our kinship with you and with all our relations. Bless us with compassion that our friendships may grow. We pray in the name of Creator, who is Mother and Father of us all. Amen.
Adapted from a prayer written by Read Sherman (Trinity United Church in Montreal).
 
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ,
God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;
welcoming sinners and invites us to this table.
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
 
Silence is kept.
 
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
 
Almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
 
Announcements
 
Hymn 460: Shine Jesus Shine
 
The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Creator, you bless us with many good gifts returned to you from your creation. Feed us with the Bread of Life, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Eucharistic Prayer – revised version from the Liturgy of St. John’s, Red Lake, MN, and adapted from NZ Maori PB.
 
God the Creator is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to God the Creator
Let us give thanks to God
It is right to offer our thanks and praise.
 
God the Creator, our Great Spirit, from the depths of our hearts we give you thanks. We say thank you, now and forever. From the place of the rising sun in the East, to the South where the warm winds blow, from the West where the soft rain comes, to the coldness of the North. We unite with all creation from the four directions to join in the everlasting thanksgiving and praise for the gift of Jesus Christ.
 
With hearts lifted, we join with the angels, the guardian spirits, the saints, and all our ancestors as we say…
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
 
O Great Spirit, our Creator from whom all holiness comes, we come before you again today. Just as in generations past, like our grandmothers and grandfathers, we come to worship you and acknowledge your greatness. We marvel at your creation.
 
You sent Jesus into creation because people had turned away from you and no longer loved each other, bringing death and destruction. Sharing our living and dying, Jesus opened our eyes and our hearts to understand that we are all relatives and that you are our Great Spirit the Creator.
 
Stretching out his arms upon the cross, he became a perfect offering for all, uniting in beauty all that is, with all that has been, and with all that ever will be.
 
On the night Jesus was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, gave thanks to you, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take eat, this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine; gave thanks, gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
 
In this ceremony which Jesus gave us, we celebrate our salvation. In our offering of praise and thanks, we stand in the memory, strength, and love of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Remembering, we make our offering.
 
By your Holy Spirit, make our gifts holy, so that they may be spiritual food and drink. Make us holy, so that we respectfully receive this feast and serve you in each other.
 
Surrounded now by our ancestor saints and all angels, with the heavenly community which gives you worship forever. May we also live in unity and live as relatives to all.
 
United in Christ with all who stand before you on earth and heaven, we worship you, God the Creator, our Great Spirit, in songs and dance of infinite praise. Blessing, honor and glory be yours, here and everywhere, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Silence
 
The Breaking of the Bread
“I am the bread of life,” says the Lord.
“Whoever comes to me will never be hungry;
whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are they who trust in him!
 
The Communion
So, come to this table, you who have much faith and you who would like to have more. You who have been to this sacrament often, and you who have not been for a long time. You who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have failed. Come. It is Christ who invites us to meet him here. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
 
Hymns-during-communion
Hymn: Be Not Afraid
Hymn: As the Deer (P246)
 
Anthem: Faith, Hope Power!
 
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Great Creator, you have fed us with bread from heaven. continue to renew us in your truth, to give light to our minds strength to our bodies, and seal us with your Holy Spirit. We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.
 
Commissioning and Benediction
As God’s united yet diverse peoples,
we go to become neighbours to each other and to the earth.
For in Christ we are all kin.
We are called to be neighbours,
to share generously with each other.
As we learn more, respect more, love more, we all can gain, not lose!
God as Creator will be our rock.
Christ and Spirit be our guides.
 
Blessing
May the Father from whom every family
in earth and heaven receives its name
strengthen you with his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
Hymn: There Is Joy in the Lord
 
The Scattering
Go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.